San Leandro Appoints New Police Chief & Assistant City Manager

From the City of San Leandro:

After a six month review of their interim assignments, City Manager Chris Zapata announced the appointments of Jeff Tudor as Police Chief and Jeff Kay as Assistant City Manager, effective Tuesday October 18, 2016. "I've worked with both of them since 2012 and I've been able to observe their commitment to public service and to the City," said Zapata. "It is clear that they are both ready to become executive leaders in our organization."

"I'm truly honored and appreciative to be appointed as the Chief of Police of the San Leandro Police Department," said Tudor who previously served as Police Captain. "I'm thankful to have the opportunity to serve in the community that guided and mentored me throughout my life and to serve with dedicated people who truly want to make a difference." Tudor's professional highlights include:

• 20 years of experience with the San Leandro Police Department rising through the ranks from Police Officer to Police Captain;
• Command and management experience in Administration, Patrol, Traffic, Special Operations, Criminal Investigations, and SWAT;

• Deep community involvement exemplified by volunteer work at San Leandro High School, Leadership San Leandro and Bancroft Middle School; and
• Is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy and Senior Management Institute for Police in Boston and holds a Mass Communications Degree from Sonoma State University.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to continue serving the community in this new role," said Kay who previously served as the City's Business Development Manager. "San Leandro is poised for great things and I'm excited to be a part of it." Working with the City Manager as well as the Mayor and City Council, Jeff Kay'sprofessional highlights include:

• Strengthening business recruitment and retention, highlighted by the development and promotion of a local craft beer cluster, including the attraction of 21st Amendment Brewery and Cleophus Quealy Beer Co.;
• Led a successful effort to secure $2.1m in highly-competitive funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to expand the Lit San Leandro fiber networks;
• Working with a diverse group of business and community stakeholders, led effort to develop and adopt a Local Inclusion Policy that enhances the ability of San Leandro businesses to compete for City contracts, and a Community Workforce Agreement, governing labor participation and local hiring requirements for City construction projects;
• Successfully worked with City's legal team navigating three instances of litigation with the State related to the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency, ultimately resulting in the City securing or retaining $21 million out of a total of $23 million in disputed funds, much of which will support transportation projects in the City; and
• Significantly increased the City's Community Development outreach and social media presence, including the development of "San Leandro Next," a blog and social media presence.

The Police Chief is an unrepresented at-will appointment and the Assistant City Manager's position will fall into the San Leandro Management Association bargaining group.

About San Leandro

One of the most diverse cities in the nation located at the center of the dynamic San Francisco Bay Area, San Leandro is a safe, vibrant community of 89,000 residents with well-maintained neighborhoods, excellent public libraries, twenty-one public parks, quality local schools, and a wide range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. The western border of the city consists of over eight miles of pristine shoreline and amenities on San Francisco Bay while a regional park and nature areas fall on the eastern border. San Leandro businesses enjoy multiple advantages including close proximity to the Oakland International Airport and Port of Oakland, two major freeways, two BART stations, and access to a large and well-educated workforce. Through a public-private partnership known as Lit San Leandro, a fiber optic network encircles San Leandro's industrial and commercial core offering businesses virtually unlimited internet connectivity.

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